Psychological Effect
Psychological effect is a vital factor outside of the actual game. It affects one's gameplay drastically, and the performance of a player may improve/suffer depending on the situation. This is true for nearly every game, and within real life as well, for almost any stress-inducing situation. Overview Example: Whenever some players are up against a Specialist like Viper , they lose their heads completely. Their aim is off, they make panicky movements, their grenade-throws miss, they hit the wrong weapon-switch button and come up with a Heartbeat Sensor . This happens frequently among newer and occasionally more experienced players, whether intended or not. Seeing Viper and realizing that she has a large speed advantage over you, and the fact that she may or may not have a weapon like the M32 equipped, causes morale to flag. This principle is seen a lot in real life, especially in warfare. Countries with a superior army but low morale have lost to inferior barbarians with high morale. Of course, other factors come into play in-game, like a player's equipment, armor, etc, but ultimately, players do worse when they feel overwhelmed. More experienced players tend to keep their cool in situations like these, and can overpower Viper easily. The impact on performance is also very obvious. For example, a M416 wielding player will do MUCH better than if that same player was wielding a M4A1 , despite a barely noticeable stat change. This is because the M416 is unlocked at a higher rank, cost more, and looks cooler (usually what players think). Therefore, the player comes to reason that because the M416 cannot be accessed by lower-rank players, and that it costs a hefty 300 GP more than the M4, the M416 must be better. But instead, it is the PLAYER himself that does better. The same thing may apply on how long you've been playing. If you're a Combat Arms veteran, and you've been playing for a while, you'd think you'd know every trick in the book. But when you easily lose to newer users constantly, you may think, "Have I really lost my edge?" or "Has the game really come to this?." Most of the time, it may not be your fault. As Nexon (and many other game corporations) often states, "For your own safety, please refrain from playing (insert reason here).." Playing more doesn't make you better all the time; it may just eat away at your mental and physical health. Playing too much may cause you to become obsessed and much more fragile in real life. Though this isn't always the case, you should still take precautionary measures. Don't strain yourself too much if you can't handle it. Also, what other players say or do may affect you as well. If too many people call you a noob, well, you might start thinking that they're right. If people bias against Specialists or other aspects of the game, you might give into peer pressure and agree with them. It's not the equipment that counts; it's the person that's using it. Never give into social pressure and try to stand out. Don't listen to things you don't believe in, and don't do things you think you shouldn't. You may end up making a very bad choice in-game or in real life. There are thousands of examples in Combat Arms, especially in Elimination and Quarantine. Avoiding this effect is nearly impossible, but now that you've read this article, you have a chance to fight any negative effect. Next time you encounter Codename: Viper, focus on killing her as quickly as possible, not the fact that you're trying to kill Viper. This also works when you are dealing with higher-rank players, sometimes. Take a break, relax from playing. And try to think outside the box. =D Tips "Taking a short, five minute break every hour is a sound strategy. In general, it’s important to take a break from gaming when you feel fatigued (eye strain, twitching fingers, headache, et cetera), but it is also beneficial to take short breaks hourly to maintain positive health while gaming." Category:System